Board of Directors Elections
Oak Hill Montessori Community School
Thursday, May 30th, 7:00am-7:00pm
Dave Anderson
Oak Hill Montessori has been an important part of Dave’s child’s life, and therefore his and his spouse Amanda’s lives. Oak Hill helped to shape who they are in profound ways and it has been important for him to give back to a school that has given them so much. Dave has been very active in the school community, including volunteering for the annual auctions, book fairs, cleanup days, ice cream socials, new parent events, parent coffees, winter solstices, year-end picnics, etc. He volunteered with the Oak Hill Montessori Parent Association from 2011 to 2017, the school’s development committee from 2017 to 2020, and the school board since 2023. During the last year, he completed the charter school board member training, and gained a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the school.
Dave can offer relevant knowledge, skills, and experience. He has worked in the nonprofit sector for 30 years, including 20 years as the director of several state and national organizations, and is currently the executive director of the National Manufactured Home Owners Association. He previously led organizations designed to involve students in community service and public policy. He has served on other boards of directors, including those with an educational focus such as the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs. He has a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, a Doctor of Education in Leadership from the University of St. Thomas, and was selected as a Bush Fellow in 2020.
Demetria Dyer
Nick Hamel
Nick’s appreciation for the life-changing work of education started in the non-profit sector, supporting middle and high school students in preparing for life after graduation. There, he saw firsthand the incredible outcomes that are possible when institutions serve students, families and staff well. More recently, he has worked in the learning and development and EdTech industries. He currently serves as the head of operations for an EdTech startup addressing educator retention and sustainable systems for special education teams. He has experience in strategic planning, for-profit and non-profit operations, and project management. He is also a parent of two OHMCS students in Toddler 1 and Casa 2.
Matt Howell
Matt is a parent of two Oak Hill alumni students – both now in college. He has been supporting the continuing mission of Oak Hill Montessori for the past ten years, eight of them as Board Treasurer. With a background as an officer in the United States Army and almost 25 years experience with Fortune 500 companies, Matt has the experience of a financial executive that has developed strategies to accelerate growth, improve cost discipline, and increase fiscal health.
Matt is running for election to a 1-year term on the board to assist transition to new leadership as the Founding Board steps down, per statute.
Tariq Ibrahim
Tariq Ibrahim was born in Nazareth, India and grew up in India and the United Arab Emirates. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering (Anna University, India), MS in Industrial Engineering (University of Florida) and MBA (Indiana University). He has been employed with Cummins Inc. at their Minnesota facilities since 2011. He resides in Shoreview with his wife Nabeelah Rahmathullah Tariq, and his son Haroon Tariq, who has been a student at Oak Hill for the past three years. Tariq’s hobbies include gardening, biking, and playing cricket. He is excited, both as a parent and Shoreview resident, about the potential of OHMCS as an educational institution. He would love to be a part of this journey and lend his voice in critical issues that need to be addressed. He believes the transferable skill set from his work in supply chain management and continuous improvement could prove very beneficial to the Board role.
Heidi James
Heidi brings over 10 years of experience working and teaching at Oak Hill. She started as a lower elementary teaching assistant in 2011, and quickly grew to love the Montessori educational environment. She completed her AMI Montessori elementary training in 2015 and holds a Masters in Montessori Elementary education from St. Catherine University. Heidi taught Lower Elementary for four years, and this 2023-2024 school year marks her third year teaching Upper Elementary at Oak Hill.
Heidi joined the OHMCS founding board of directors in June 2023. She has been excited to learn about how the board runs, and its role in making OHMCS a great place to learn, grow, and work. It is important to Heidi to have staff voice represented on the board, as well as Montessori teaching perspectives and knowledge. She would love the opportunity to be elected onto the board for another term.
Dr. Alexander Kahler
Mike McCall
Mike lives in Roseville with his wife, Nicole, and son, John. Nicole is an elementary school teacher and is wonderful at what she does. Their son, John, has attended Oak Hill for two years, and are excited to carry on into kindergarten and beyond. Mike feels Oak Hill has been the perfect fit for their family, and feels fortunate that John has such gifted teachers and friendly classmates. Mike’s first career was in the utility industry as a technician that maintained the pipes that keep houses warm in the winter. Three years ago he had the opportunity to pursue a legal education, and is excited to graduate law school this May. He and his family love to travel, host family and friends, and learn new things. His interest in joining the Board is John’s future and giving back to a community that has already given so much to them.
Molly Petracca
Molly is currently on the board. She is a teacher in Casa 1 and a parent to two children who attend OHMCS. Molly has a degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Minnesota and holds the AMI Primary Montessori Diploma from the Montessori Center in Minnesota. She has worked in schools in Minneapolis and Canada. In the past Molly has worked for the Minnesota Literacy Council and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Minneapolis. She has a deep passion for early literacy and loves giving children the tools to become confident readers. Molly loves the Montessori philosophy and educational method and loves being part of a Montessori charter school. In her free time she loves hiking with her family and buying lots of children’s books.
Juli Rubin
Juli Rubin has been an OHMCS parent since 2013. She joined the Oak Hill Montessori Board of Trustees in 2017, and now serves as Board Secretary for the founding board of OHMCS. Juli has a MBA degree with a focus on international business and strategic consulting within the medical industry. She has 20 years of professional experience in Regulatory Affairs, Quality Systems, Clinical Research, Project/ Program Management, Policy & Advocacy, and Non-Profit Management within academic, non-profit, and industry organizations. In addition to her current role on the OHMCS Board, Juli also has previous non-profit leadership experience serving on the Area Sports Management Team for Special Olympics MN and on the Board of Directors for a Minneapolis community theatre, as well as the OHM Parent Association. Juli currently chairs the OHMCS Facilities Committee and recently led the 2023 Junior High expansion. She is also a member of the MACS Government Affairs Committee and the recently created MACS Facilities Working Group. In 2024, Juli re-initiated the OHMCS Lego Robotics Club and looks to continue expanding offerings for other after-school extracurricular activities. She is also a Girl Scout Volunteer supporting one of OHMCS’s three GS troops. In her free time, Juli serves as a chauffeur and snack chef to her two children, Sydney and Aaron.
Mary Wilcox
Mary Wilcox is an accounting and finance professional with over 35 years of experience in Fortune 500 and public accounting companies. She is currently Controller and Chief Accounting Officer for Solventum. Mary is a CPA (inactive status) and has an MBA in Finance from St. Thomas. Mary was on the Board of Oak Hill Montessori School and was a founding Board member of Oak Hill Montessori Community School. Mary has volunteered her skills to Oak Hill Montessori as a member of its Finance Committee and brings extensive experience in the school operations and management from her six years as a board member of Totino-Grace High School. During her tenure, Mary was Chair of the Finance Committee and Co-President of the Board of Directors.
Vashti Wilson
Vashti Wilson, current Oak Hill parent, is married with three beautiful and energetic boys, who attend Oak Hill Montessori School (Xavier-LE2, Isaiah-LE1, Quincy-Casa1).
Originally from the east coast, Vashti graduated from Western Connecticut State University, in Danbury, CT with a degree in Marketing; and earned a diploma in Fashion Retailing from The Art Institute International in MN. Her last position was a relocation consultant, where she was a liaison between employees and their companies to assist in every aspect of their move.
As a parent, and the daughter of an educator, education is priority to Vashti. Developing a child’s mind inside and outside of the classroom is key to having a great education, which is why she choose Oak Hill. After discovering the Montessori teachings and techniques, her oldest, Xavier, gravitated to this method of instruction starting in pre-school here at Oak Hill. She then realized she wanted all of her children to follow the same path.
Her hope and goal is that her children – and all children – will have no bounds or limits to learning, and that their teachers are given what they need to make this happen.
